jubilee of mercy - Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Crossing the Threshold...
REACHING OUT: RECEIVING AND GIVING MERCY
There are many stories in the Gospels about receiving and
giving mercy. A few include:
-- The blind man
(MK 8: 22ff)
-- The woman with the hemorrhage
(LK 13: 10ff)
-- The cure of the demoniac
(MK 5: 1-20)
-- The raising of the daughter of Jairus (MT 9: 18ff)
Physical healings are accompanied by spiritual healing of
a confession of sin, followed by a firm resolve to amend
one’s life and follow God’s commandments.
Reaching out, begging for mercy and forgiveness, usually
precedes the physical healing.
FROM THE HOLY DOOR TO THE CONFESSIONAL
The Holy Door is located in the
Shrine Church, mirroring the location of the Holy Door at the Papal
Basilica St. Mary Major.
Walking through, veer to the left.
You will pass by three side-aisle
shrines before arriving at the Confessional.
After receiving the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, take a moment at
each of the side-aisle shrines and
reflect on the Lord’s most powerful
message: Mercy.
The first painting on your right is that
of Saint Peregrine.
Saint Peregrine rebelled against the
Church and authority.Upon experiencing the mercy of God, he confessed his sin, amended his life, and
followed God’s call as a member of
the Servite religious order. Later, a
cancerous sore developed on his leg,
and the doctor told Peregrine that
the leg would need to be amputated. During the night, before surgery,
Saint Peregrine was healed - there
was no need for the surgery.
A physical healing!
Paintings
Painting of Saint Peregrine Laziosi (above)
Artist: Neilson Carlin
Painting of Saint Maria Goretti (top right)
Painting of Saint Faustina/the Divine Mercy (cover; bottom right)
Artist: Noah Buchanan
The next painting is of the vision of Alessandro, who stabbed Saint Maria Goretti.
Saint Maria Goretti appeared to him
in his prison cell. Alessandro had no
remorse for killing Saint Maria Goretti.
But she wanted him in Heaven with her.
When the vision occurred, he reached
out for the gift of mercy that Saint Maria
Goretti was extending to him in the form
of fourteen lilies.
Saint Maria Goretti’s mother also forgave Alessandro, saying: “my daughter
forgives Alessandro, how can I not?”
Saint Maria Goretti is known as the Little Saint of Great Mercy.
EVANGELIZATION OF DIVINE MERCY
Saint Faustina Kowalska is known as
the Secretary of Divine Mercy. She
was a member of the Sisters of Our
Lady of Mercy in Poland. Jesus appeared to her, revealing the image of
His Divine Mercy, which He ordered
her to have painted. She was also
told to write down everything she
saw, heard, and experienced. Her Diary, “Divine Mercy in My Soul,” is the
message of mercy given to the whole
world.
Saint Faustina prayed and lived
mercy in her life. Imitating her example, we not only “reach out” to
receive and to give mercy; we are
also called to “go deeper,” nourishing the life of mercy in our souls, and
then to spread the mercy message
and to share the “mercy experience.”
From our reflection at each of the
three paintings situated between the confessional and the
Holy Door, we are ready to exit. It is as if it is “now the hour”
to come down from the mountain and go out into the valley
with the love and joy of mercy!
Shrine of
Our Lady of Guadalupe
5250 Justin Road | La Crosse, WI 54601
www.guadalupeshrine.org | 877-799-4059
EXTRAORDINARY
JUBILEE OF MERCY
December 8, 2015
until
November 20, 2016
“O BLOOD AND WATER,
WHICH GUSHED FORTH FROM
THE HEART OF JESUS AS A
FOUNTAIN OF MERCY FOR US,
I TRUST IN YOU!”
Diary 84
JUBILEE OF MERCY
SACRAMENT OF MERCY
Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee of Mercy! He is giving us a
year to focus on and to deepen our gratitude for the loving mercy
of God.
A Jubilee provides an opportunity for each of us to participate in and
experience the healing Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Sacrament
of Mercy.
The Jubilee of Mercy includes the use of a Holy Door, a specially
designated entrance that has spiritually symbolic meaning. Passing through the Holy Door is part of the pilgrimage that we are
encouraged to make, whether during a trip to Rome or a trip to
cathedrals or specially designated churches or shrines.
After having both confessed our sins and received absolution, we
may also receive a Plenary Indulgence, which lessens the effects of
our sin here on earth. Pope Francis explains, “To gain an indulgence
is to experience the holiness of the Church, who bestows upon all
the fruits of Christ’s redemption, so that God’s love and forgiveness
may extend everywhere. Let us live this Jubilee intensely, begging
the Father to forgive our sins and to bathe us in His merciful ‘indulgence’ (MV).”
These pilgrimages come with special graces. “By crossing the
threshold of the Holy Door, we will find the strength to embrace
God’s mercy and dedicate ourselves to being merciful with others
as the Father has been with us” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae
Vultus).
THE HOLY DOOR
Each of the four papal basilicas in Rome (St. Peter’s, St. Mary
Major, St. John Lateran, and St. Paul Outside the Walls) has a Holy
Door.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, is
spiritually linked with the papal basilica St. Mary Major.
Bishop William P. Callahan, of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin,
designated the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe to have a Holy
Door. The Holy Door was opened on December 13, 2015, by Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, founder of the Shrine.
Crossing the threshold of the Holy Door is rich in spiritual symbolic
meaning: 1) Jesus said of Himself, “I am the door for the sheep”
(JN 10:7); 2) Passing through the Holy Door symbolizes our leaving
the world outside and entering into the realm of salvation; 3) We
are invited to pray that our own personal “shut doors” of sin and
temptation may be opened and that we open our hearts to others
in need of God’s mercy.
JUBILEE INDULGENCE
Along with the journey to a Holy Door, there are four other conditions
required to obtain the indulgence:
•
receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation (as near as possible
to the pilgrimage);
•
participating in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and
receiving Holy Communion (as near as possible to the pilgrimage);
•
making a profession of faith (i.e. the Apostles’ Creed or Nicene
Creed);
•
praying for the Holy Father and for his intentions.
•
having complete detachment from sin, even venial sin (if this
detachment is lacking, the indulgence is partial, not full).
Our Holy Father has also attached the Jubilee of Mercy Indulgence
to performing the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Upon exiting the church by passing through the Holy Door, we are called to
share the experience of mercy that we ourselves have received.
CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY
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Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit the imprisoned
Bury the dead
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Admonish the sinner
Instruct the ignorant
Counsel the doubtful
Comfort the sorrowful
Bear wrongs patiently
Forgive all injuries
Pray for the living and the dead
SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY
• MODELS OF MERCY •
Pope Francis has entrusted the Jubilee of Mercy to Mary,
the Mother of Mercy, “that she might turn her gaze upon us
and watch over our journey.”
Saints of Mercy include:
• Saint Faustina Kowalska
• Saint Maria Goretti
• Saint Maximilian Kolbe and Saint Francis Xavier
• Saint Philip Benizi and Saint Peregrine
• Saint Therese of Lisieux and Saint Gemma Galgani
• Saint Martin of Tours and Saint Vincent de Paul
• Saint John Mary Vianney
• Saint Padre Pio and Saint Leopold
• Saint Catherine of Siena
• Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
• Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II
• Saint Peter Claver and Saint Teresa of Calcutta